DFT Latest: Clarifying the current situation

After a series of often complex judgments, appeals and cross-appeals, it’s unsurprising that the Detained Fast Track is mired in confusion. Rumours are circulating that it has been shut down altogether, or that it is continuing unchanged.

The actual situation is that the Fast Track appeals process has been suspended, but the Home Office can continue to make initial decisions according to Fast Track timescales. So asylum-seekers can be detained and put on Fast Track, but they cannot be kept in detention for a Fast Track appeal. If an individual is considered an absconding risk, however, they may still be detained for their appeal.

These latest developments are a direct result of Detention Action’s litigation against the Detained Fast Track, which you can find out more about, here.